[londonbornpaddy]

Very nearly about to hit the BUY NOW button on the Onkyo HT 22HDX - originally just wanted it for the 2.1 but am now thinking of the extra speakers.
Two things i wanted to ask the more knowledgeable than me...

1) Is this system as good as most of its reviews or have i missed seeing something. It has been out for two years now and no one seems to be talking about a better all in one.

2) I already have some Mission speakers - which on the back of them say - Enclosure type 2 way reflexive - Recommended Amp power 25-75 W/ch - Nominal impedance 8 Ohms . . . . and i dont know what ANY of that means!!! I was given the speakers and have rarely used them - will they work as part of the surround sound set up so i just have to buy a new center speaker??

I appreciate your help because i appreciate your greater knowledge - thanks

[audioenthusiast]

Yes that is a decent system, for an all-in-one. I'd expect decent film/TV performance, but the size of its speakers would lead me to believe that it won't be much good for music (They look like the same speakers as the HTS-6305 that I used to own. Good for film, not for music). I don't like sub/sat systems for music - prefer something with front speakers at least closer to being full-range.


As for the missions, they look like a pretty ideal specification. You'd want something 6-8 ohms, and the 50W output of the Onkyo fits in the recommended range for the speakers.
2-way refers to the fact that they have both a tweeter and a woofer/midrange driver.
Reflexive means that it's a ported cabinet (instead of sealed). This usually allows a lower bass response.
From your description but without knowing anything about what they are, I'd expect them to be a little better than the supplied Onkyo speakers. What model are they?
You'd ideally want to match your centre to your fronts, if there's a matching Mission centre.

[londonbornpaddy]

Thanks very much for your quick reply - there is a serial number on the back of the one i can see. 310139601.
No more information is on them. But i have spent a long time looking at the Onkyo and Umming and Ahhring about if i need the additional speakers and if it is going to be good enough. I did the same thing with my Panasonic GT30 50" and despite other peoples attempts to ruin my enjoyment of that by pointing out all the apparent flaws of the set i am still very happy with it. So i want something to compliment that lovely PQ. The Onkyo all in one leapt out at me and has not gone away so far. I have a very small Living room and the TV already takes up more than enough space - it was on special offer how could i refuse?

Thanks again. Will look out for center speaker.

Just one last thing - the thing i wanted to make sure of was that the vocal range would be good - when the Mrs is in bed i seem to spend all night with my finger on the volume control so that when a gun shot or explosion occurs i dont wake her up. Do systems like this allow you to set up for this or am i dreaming? Is that the main point of the center speaker?

[audioenthusiast]

I'm afraid the serial number doesn't help me with the Missions. If they're an old model, or a pair that came with an all-in-one stereo music system, you might struggle to find a matching centre. If you take a picture of them (front and back) then somebody here might recognise them.

Yes a centre does separate out the speech. But the objective here is based on sound quality, not to give you the ability to turn the speech up or down relative to the rest of the soundtrack. But yes, that is a side effect.

Instead, most TVs and AVRs have a 'night mode' or similarly-named mode. This applies some compression to the sound envelope. This compression reduces the dynamic range, so that loud sounds aren't as loud, relative to the quieter sounds.
I don't know if the Onkyo has this feature - see if you can find the manual online. Or if you're using your TV as a source (instead of a blu-ray player etc), then your TV might have it.

Other things you can do to help the problem:
* Use headphones at night (the obvious solution!)
* Turn off the subwoofer at night - low frequencies penetrate through walls more.
* A higher quality system will sound clearer. So you can still understand the speech if it's turned down lower than you would need a cheap system.

[londonbornpaddy]

Thanks again - i have read the manual and there is a night time mode. Could you use the Mission speakers as back surround speakers or are they better for front? Have seen a few center speakers on Ebay that look like they are the same model - 70c - so am watching them now.
Going to take the plunge now. If only i had the money when Amazon were offering it at £50 less than they are now.

I am really very grateful for your help.

[audioenthusiast]

No problem.

You can use either the Onkyo speakers that come with the 22HDX, or the Mission pair as fronts or surrounds.
As a general rule, you want to use the better pair as fronts.
My assumption is that the Missions will be slightly better, but I couldn't say for certain without hearing them myself (and even then, you may prefer the opposite to me).

If I were you, I would...
Get the Onkyo set.
Use it in 2.1 mode with its original speakers, and also with the Mission speakers.
Decide which pair you like best.
Find the matching centre for whichever pair you like the most, and use them as fronts.